The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 1

Wayward daughters. Missing Husbands. Philandering partners. Curious conmen. If you've got a problem, and no one else can help you, then pay a visit to Precious Ramotswe, Botswana's only - and finest - female private detective. Her methods may not be conventional, and her manner not exactly Miss Marple, but she's got warmth, wit and canny intuition on her side, not to mention Mr J.L.B. Maketoni, the charming proprietor of Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors.

Mumbai, murder and a baby elephant combine in a charming, joyful mystery for fans of Alexander McCall Smith and Harold Fry. On the day he retires, Inspector Ashwin Chopra inherits two unexpected mysteries. The first is the case of a drowned boy, whose suspicious death no one seems to want solved. And the second is a baby elephant.

44 Scotland Street: 44 Scotland Street, Book 1

The story revolves around the comings and goings at No. 44 Scotland Street, a fictitious building in a real street in Edinburgh. Immediately recognisable are the Edinburgh chartered surveyor, stalwart of the Conservative Association, who dreams of membership of Scotland's most exclusive golf club. We have the pushy Stockbridge mother, and her prodigiously talented five-year-old son, who is making good progress with the saxophone and with his Italian.

Dying in the Wool

Take one quiet Yorkshire Village, add a measure of mystery, a sprinkling of scandal and Kate Shackleton - amateur sleuth extraordinaire! Bridgestead is a quiet village: a babbling brook, rolling hills and a working mill at its heart. Pretty and remote, nothing exceptional happens...except for the day when Joshua Braithwaite goes missing in dramatic circumstances, never to be heard of again.

Mrs Pargeter's Principle

For Mrs Pargeter, it is a matter of principle that she should complete any of her late husband's unfinished business. Amongst his many bequests, perhaps the most valuable is his little black book, in which he listed all the people who ever worked for him, with details of their particular skill sets. This means that whenever Mrs P has a crime to solve, she can readily contact someone with the relevant expertise.

My Family and Other Animals: BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatization

Celia Imrie and Toby Jones star in this BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of Gerald Durrell's much-loved comic gem. My Family and Other Animals is the classic tale of naturalist Gerald Durrell's magical 1930s childhood on prewar Corfu. His descriptions of his eccentric family and his encounters with the local creatures are full of humour and charm.

Holy Island: The DCI Ryan Mysteries, Book 1

Detective Chief Inspector Ryan retreats to Holy Island seeking sanctuary when he is forced to take sabbatical leave from his duties as a homicide detective. A few days before Christmas, his peace is shattered, and he is thrust back into the murky world of murder when a young woman is found dead amongst the ancient ruins of the nearby priory. When former local girl Dr. Anna Taylor arrives back on the island as a police consultant, old memories swim to the surface, making her confront her difficult past.

Restless

Shortlisted for the British Book Awards, Richard and Judy Best Read, 2007.Winner of the Costa Book Awards, Novel of the Year, 2006.A Richard and Judy Book Club selection.Longlisted for the Audiobook Download of the Year, 2007.What happens when everything you thought you knew about your mother turns out to be an elaborate lie? During the summer of 1976, Ruth Gilmartin discovers that her very English mother, Sally, is really Eva Delectorskaya, a Russian émigrée and one-time spy.

Julian Fellowes's Belgravia

Julian Fellowes's Belgravia is the story of a secret. A secret that unravels behind the porticoed doors of London's grandest postcode. Set in the 1840s, when the upper echelons of society began to rub shoulders with the emerging industrial nouveau riche, Belgravia is peopled by a rich cast of characters. But the story begins on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. At the Duchess of Richmond's now legendary ball, one family's life will change forever.

The Mangle Street Murders

Gower Street, London, 1882: Sidney Grice, London's most famous personal detective, is expecting a visitor. He drains his fifth pot of morning tea, and glances outside, where a young, plain woman picks her way between the piles of horse-dung towards his front door. Sidney Grice shudders. For heaven's sake - she is wearing brown shoes. The Mangle Street Murders is for those who like their crime original, atmospheric, and very, very funny.

The Rough Collier: Gil Cunningham Mysteries

When the peat-cutters came to report the dead man, Gil Cunningham was up in the roof-space of his mother's house, teaching his new young wife swordplay. They believe the corpse to be that of a local missing man. His wife and the widow who runs the local coalmine are sure the body belongs to someone else, but then they find themselves accused of having killed him by witchcraft. And if the corpse is not the missing man, who is it? Gil and Alys try to get to the heart of the matter.

Magpie Murders

When editor Susan Ryeland is given the tattered manuscript of Alan Conway's latest novel, she has little idea it will change her life. She's worked with the revered crime writer for years, and his detective, Atticus Pund, is renowned for solving crimes in the sleepy English villages of the 1950s. As Susan knows only too well, vintage crime sells handsomely. It's just a shame that it means dealing with an author like Alan Conway.... But Conway's latest tale of murder at Pye Hall is not quite what it seems.

Publisher's Summary

Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi have always relied on the advice of the classic guide to their trade, The Principles of Private Detection. But who is the eminent author, Mr Clovis Andersen, and what if he was to come to Botswana? That seems a very unlikely possibility, and yet... When Mr Andersen visits Botswana on holiday, he is delighted and intrigued to stumble across a roadside sign that reveals the existence of the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Professional courtesy suggests that he call and announce himself. Meanwhile, Mma Makutsi and Phuti Radiphuti are embarking on married life and building a new house - a tricky business under any circumstances but especially hazardous when the name of the contractor is the Joy and Light Building Company.

Just kick back, relax and follow these characters in their naive, innocent but altogether enjoyable escapades. Coming across as polite and kind people you surely ask how could these decent folk survive in the real world never mind running businesses such as Speedy Motors and Limpopo Private Detective Agency not to mention The Right Way Up Building Merchants. The kind of light listen perfect for a Sunday afternoon, as I said....just get yourself comfortable

I always enjoy the adventures of the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency - it's a shame that Audible do not have unabridged versions of all the novels. Adjoa Andoh does a superb job - I can't imagine the characters having any other voice but hers - not only the older female characters but the young men who have a way of jive talking that always makes me smile. The story this time was slightly ludicrous - it feels like there is a struggle for new ideas - but there is further development of the regular characters which is enjoyable and faithful to the characters have progressed so far.

This book is another in the First Ladies detective Agency series and does not disappoint. It was an excellent choice as the narration is excellent and only adds to the pleasure of reading the story. If you have jot read any of this series, do! If you have already read other books this one is a good choce too.

Oh where is the 6 star option when you need it!Because I certainly need for any of the Number One Lady's Detective Agency series -- and this, the thirteenth, is no exception.

This book is beautiful. Reading it is to be engaged in a flow of generous humanity -- people with love in their hearts, gracious routines mapping their day and gratitude for what is wonderful in people and the environment. These are people with idiosyncrasies which amuse or irritate, and past lives which offer explanation and depth to their present, and whose personalities are revealed by dealing with day to day challenges.

But these people are not naive. They are fully aware of the physical dangers of the world, and the usually greater dangers of the mean-spirited -- if not down right evil -- humans. The lady detectives address these dangers with a delicious mixture of compassion, shrewd identification of what is right and wrong, of course, a cup of bush tea.

And always in the background McCall Smith evokes an Africa that is both gloriously vibrant and much troubled, and within it, the stable country of Botswana.

All this is superbly reflected in the narration by Adjoa Andoh who richly captures the music of McCall's language and characters.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Pam

Castletown, Australia

19/11/12

Overall

Performance

Story

"Loved it"

McCall Smith and Ma Ramotswe are as entertaining as ever. Listened to it in one sitting as I did other non taxing tasks.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Susan

Christchurch, New Zealand

30/10/12

Overall

Performance

Story

"I have been lost in Botswana fo rthe past few week"

If you could sum up The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection in three words, what would they be?

EnthrallingCaptivatingHumorous

What other book might you compare The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection to and why?

The other books in this series. Over the years I have developed a picture in my mind of the characters and setting of this expanding story. I have talked with people who have lived in Botswana and tell me that the story is very true of its people and places.

What does Adjoa Andoh bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She brings the sound and sense of what I imagine this part of Botswana to be like. Her reading makes me feel the dust and smell the rain of Africa, even though I have never been there.

Who was the most memorable character of The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection and why?

Mama Makutsi drives me nuts but she always makes me smile (even if she may not mean to). An honorary mention must be given to her shoes as well.

Any additional comments?

A must for the discerning listener.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Mackenzie

Petersham, Australia

04/02/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Wonderful stories"

I have listened to all of this series with joy. Part of the magic is that this Scottish academic's writing and Andoh's narration make the series sound utterly realistically Namibian.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Maggi

Bilgola, Australia

30/08/12

Overall

Performance

Story

"Love this series!"

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Just a really nice feelgood story

What about Adjoa Andoh’s performance did you like?

Brings out the cast well and consistently

Any additional comments?

The best narrator for this series.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Julie

Melbourne, Australia

24/04/12

Overall

Performance

Story

"Pure Escapism"

Sliding into a new Mme Ramotswe novel is pure bliss. Good will triumph, evil will not even be too evil. Get in touch with your inner nice person and enjoy this series.In this installment, Clovis Anderson appears in person, with the quiet application of common sense to assist the detectives of the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency Botswana right wrongs and foil injustice.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

R. Davies

Tennant Creek, NT, AU

07/06/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"disappointed with it"

Would you try another book from Alexander McCall Smith and/or Adjoa Andoh?

We have enjoyed the series up to this book. It was a struggle to finish it. We would consider another book in the series if it came available. If it works out the same as this book, we may give the series away.

What could Alexander McCall Smith have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

faster moving with less boring detail

What does Adjoa Andoh bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She does very well with what she is given to read.

Did The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection inspire you to do anything?

no

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

David

Quakers Hill, Australia

11/06/12

Overall

Performance

Story

"Limp"

McCall Smith has clearly run out of ideas. I was a great fan of Mma Ramatoswe and her doings, even if those doings were done relatively slowly. In this book, however, after 3 hours, the earlier books appear turbo-charged. Absolutely nothing happens. We are reminded about the various marriages of the detectives, Mma Makutsi's talking shoes, her husband's disability, the cows of Mma Ramotswe's father, but there is nothing at all that makes you want to keep listening. It's as if McCall Smith's publisher demanded one last book and he wrote it in his sleep rather than at his normal time of 5 in the morning. Really extremely disappointing.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Report Inappropriate Content

If you find this review inappropriate and think it should be removed from our site, let us know. This report will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action.